I Work For My Brothers
by CriminalOutsider'sGirl14
Summary: Darry Curtis had always done his best to provide for his brothers, but it left him overworked so when Darry comes down with a bad cold, it's up to his brothers, particularly Ponyboy to take care of him and convince the sometimes he needs to take a break. The cold is passed between brothers and they'll need to stick together to get better. Thank you to FrankElza for her help.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**** Important: Weather has been crazy. We recently had some tornados and high winds in Indiana and Illinois. The wind was so strong that the screen on the window flew off. That's the worse that my town has gotten, so far, but many people were not as lucky. ****There are fatalities, there are flattened communities, so please keep the people affected in the southwest Chicago area and Northwest Indiana in your minds. Thanks guys.**

**Onto lighter topics, the story!**

**Third person POV**

Darry Curtis gratefully, but slowly stepped into the hot shower after long and excruciating hours of work. His back muscles refused to loosen and relieve him from the aching pain. His two labor extensive jobs were already taking a toll and aging his newly twenty strong body.

He wondered if the shower had anything to do with the bills that were stacking up. A hot shower meant he had a long day at work that cost money. He worked to pay for the hot shower that work made him take. It was a vicious cycle of money and poverty that greasers were seemed to never escape.

That's why he pushed his youngest brother to do good, to get out of here. His chances were gone, but he loved his brother enough to want him to succeed, but the harder he pushed the more his brother seemed to resent him.

Soda understood why I did it, Soda understood everyone, but Darry was cold and uncaring, or so everyone thought. He was really just a scared boy who wanted so much for his parents to be here with him and take care of him. Responsibility was something he had wanted when he was younger, like every teen, he wanted freedom and to be treated like an adult. Boy, did he get it now. _Be careful what you wish for_, he had been warned several times before the accident.

The water started to turn cold, again reminded him of the money leaking out of the shower head. All that seemed to ever be on Darry's mind was the three B's; bills, brothers, and the B that was on Ponyboy's last report card.

Despite his backs yearn to loosen up, Darry shut off the hot water. He eased his aching body into the clothes that were laying nearby and when he emerged he desperately asked Soda for a back rub. Of course Soda agreed, and soon, Darry's body gave in and let him fall sleep.

**X**

Surprisingly, the next morning Darry's body felt worse than the night before. Even his throat hurt and it took Darry a minute to realize why. His nose was so stuffed up that he had opened his mouth in the middle of the night leaving his throat raw and achy. His nose tickled and he let out a loud string of wet sneezes.

Ponyboy came in minutes later and flicked the nearby lamp on.

"You don't look to good, Dar. Are you feeling okay?" Pony asked, feeling concerned. Darry didn't want anybody to worry, so he denied any illness. Ponyboy, though, was unconvinced.

Darry should have known, when his head wasn't in the clouds Pony, being as quiet as he was, was a sharp observe with knowledge to match it and he wouldn't be fooled by Darry's weak attempt at a cover up his cold.

He walked forward to Darry's bedside and felt his forehead, which was considerably very warm.

"Darry, your real hot, I'll have Soda call you off work," Ponyboy assured his sick older brother.

"No, I need to go to work, bills won't pay themselves," Darry mumbled, easing his tight muscles out of bed.

"Your right," Ponyboy told him. At first Darry thought he was off the hook, but his youngest brother wasn't finished,"The hospital bills you surely will accumulate if you go to work won't be beneficial to our finances."

Darry was stubborn and bull-headed, but he knew his brother was right and the concern in his eyes was evident. He conceded and allowed Pony to call him off of work and grab him a box of tissues.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please review.**

**FrankElza, thank you for the help I know you will provide, but I either need to stop asking you for help or learn some patience before I post.**

**I had PMed her tonight asking for some help, but before she could respond I posted. I'm grateful anyway.**


	2. Chapter 2: Aspirin and apple juice

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**My town, my friends, and myself survived the night, bu****t again, many small towns have literally been wiped clean leaving nothing. Please, please, keep them in your thoughts. More than one tornado touched down, and se last up to an hour and over.**

**The summary change has been brought to you by the very patient FrankElza. :)**

**Third person POV**

Darry let his brother leave his bedroom and call him off work while also grabbing a thermometer.

Pony stuck the thermometer in Darry's mouth and when it beeped he read "101.8," which was workable in Darry's eyes, but bed rest in his concerned kid brother's eyes.

Darry's eyelids soon felt very heavy, and with Pony's reassuring voice telling him that it was alright to fall asleep, he closed his heavy eyelids.

Pony left the room, but Darry's eyes weren't closed very long before his nose started to tickle again. Darry groaned, wanting to go to sleep, but the round of sneezes escaped his nose anyway. The force of the sneezes shook his pounding head and his nose started to run even more than before.

Luckily, Pony had thought to set out some Kleenexes with allowed Darry to blow his stuffy red nose into them.

A painful moan almost escaped his dry lips, but he suppressed it, not wanting his brothers to come in and check on him. He loved them, of course, more than anything, but he was superman. He didn't want them to see him so weak and vulnerable. He wasn't suppose to worry his brothers, he was suppose to be the one who worried about them and not the other way around.

Darry blew his already red nose one last before finally being able to fall quickly asleep and he was unaware that his brothers continued to check on him as the day dragged on.

**X**

Darry's nose wasn't going to let him sleep very long and soon a round of sneezes tickled his nose. The loud sneezes brought Pony into his eldest brothers room.

"Darry, do you want some medicine?" Pony asked softly. Darry was about to agree, but saw that Pony was carrying cough syrup, and Darry's cough wasn't really too bad, so he wanted to save money and not take the cough syrup.

"Just aspirin," he requested nasally.

Pony left and returned with the aspirin and apple juice. Normally, nobody drank apple juice, just chocolate milk and coffee, but Soda must have bought some. For some reason water and milk always hurt your throat worse when you were under the weather, Darry realized as he downed the aspirin and juice. He silently acknowledge his brothers quick thinking.

But for Darry, all this 'quick thinking' was making his headache worse. Pony took his temperature one last tim before allowing Darry to fall asleep.

**A/N: Sorry that that was super short. I want to do something besides third person POV next, but who should if be. One of the gang? Soda? Pony? Darry?**


	3. Chapter 3: The other side

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**Ponyboy's POV (Starts at first day that Darry is sick)**

I knew that what Darry had was just a cold, but I was still really worried. His fever was getting pretty high, just under 102. He needed to stay in bed.

I grabbed him kleenexes and then had Soda call him off of work. Soda did, calling goodbye and heading off to work.

When I went into his bedroom and saw that he was struggling to stay awake. I told him to go to sleep and he obeyed, closing his heavy eyelids.

I sat down next to his bed and watched him sleep. I finally understood why Darry loved to watch me sleep, it was reassuring.

Suddenly, a round of sneezes made me jump about ten feet in the air. He didn't seem to notice me and just continue to sneeze and then blew his nose. I was glad that I had brought inI wants to comfort him, he looked miserable, but I knew he wouldn't want me to, so I left, only to check on him every few hours.

Not long after I left I heard the poor guy start to have a sneeze attack again. I grabbed se cough syrup and went into his bedroom. I saw him weakly blowing his nose.

"Darry, do you want some medicine?" I asked.

Just aspirin," he requested nasally. I nodded and left the room.

I saw in the fridge that Soda had bought some apple juice, so I grabbed that and two aspirins.

Darry took them gratefully and let me take his temperature one last time before he fell asleep. It was 102.

I watched him sleep, yawning. I understood why Darry was always so tired. I tried to stay awake Incase he needed something, but my eyelids were too heavy and I fell asleep.

**Darry's POV**

I woke up feeling a little bit better and saw Pony slumped over in the chair next to me bed. I smiled softly to myself, the poor kid wore himself out today. I was so thankful to have such wonderful brothers.

I knew that I should to get up, but I also knew that Ponyboy was going to hurt his back sleeping like that so I picked him up and put him in bed. He curled himself into a ball in the covers, shivering.

_This was one of the reasons I didn't want my brother to take care of me, I hope he doesn't get sick_, I thought, just as he drew back and sneezed forcefully. The force didn't even wake him up, he just sniffled and went back to sleep.

I heard the door shut quietly and saw Soda walk in. He saw me and smiled wide.

"Hey, Darry," he called,"Feeling better?"

"A little, yeah," I answered honestly. He looked down at Ponyboy sympathetically.

"He wore himself out," I answered Soda's expression.

"He had a nightmare last night at two, and he never went back to sleep," Soda informed me.

No wonder he got sick, he went to bed at eleven and then was stressing about me all day.

"When I woke up he was slumped over the old chair in my room and I think he's sick," I confessed. To confirm my theory Pony groggily shifted around and then started to cough.

Soda left to go make some strange colorful, and hopefully edible dinner while I stayed in Ponyboy's room.

**A/N: Sorry that that was short. I know I did this before, but I have a really good idea with the Pony takes care of Darry and Pony falls ill so Darry takes care of him. I love the brother relationship. (Not incest.) Please don't give up on this story yet, it won't be repetitive, I promise. **


	4. Chapter 4: Round Two

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**Darry's POV **

I sat with Ponyboy in his room until Soda called to me, telling me that dinner was ready. I wasn't very hungry so Soda decided that he would eat in Pony's room with me.

"Your going to get sick too, Soda," I warned him carefully. He just smiled.

"It's only always two, right?" Soda asked.

When we were little when one of us were sick the other always got sick, but never that I could remember had all three of us been sick with the same thing at the same time.

I couldn't help but laugh at Soda's strange confidence in his immune system. This was Soda's logic on how not to get sick, just let the other two get sick first and he's safe.

**Third person POV **

Ponyboy could hear his older brothers, but his eyelids felt way too heavy to lift. The effort was wearing him out. His head felt hot and sweaty, but his body was cold and he was shivering.

"Cold, Ponyboy?" A familiar rough voice asked. The voice seemed loud in the sick boy's ears and the volume of your voice made his head pound. The young boy couldn't help but whimper at the sharp pains in his head. The older greaser took the whine as a sign that he was cold, so Darry grabbed a blanket and threw it in the young boy.

Soon, the warm blanket and the overall exhaustion quickly made Pony fall asleep.

Ponyboy's POV

I woke up feeling hot and shaky. My stomach started to churn and flip uncomfortably. I swallowed thickly and gripped the blanket tightly, willing my stomach to relax, but my stomach wasn't having it. It gave one more violent jerk as I hopped out of bed. I tried to get to the bathroom, but I was shaky and weak and knew I couldn't make it. Luckily, Darry or Soda has thought to set out a garbage and I was able to grab it just in time to release my entire last meal, avoiding a giant clean up.

When given a small break I grabbed onto my bed, allowing me to get onto my feet. I set the garbage can down and laid back down into my bed, but my stomach wasn't going to let up and I had to quickly grab the basin just in time to dry heave. The stomach bile burned my sore throat.

I vaguely heard Soda come in and start to rub my back. When finished I groaned softly, feeling miserable. I coughed weakly, flopping back down onto the bed and letting exhaustion overtake my body.

**A/N: I know that this is suppose to be a Darry sick fic, but I wasn't very happy with it. I haven't totally given up on Darry, though, his illness will make a reappearance. Remember, he is still sick and all this stress isn't good for his health. **

**Do you guys like Third Person POV? Do you think I'm good at it? **


	5. Chapter 5: Did he do it on his own?

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**Sodapop's POV **

Darry sat with Pony in his room for the whole time I was cooking my orange potatoes and green chicken.

I called for him when it was done, but he still wasn't feeling 100% and told me he wasn't hungry. I just decided that I would eat in Ponyboy's quiet room.

"Your going to get sick too, Soda," Darry warned me. I just smiled.

"It's only always two, right?" I reminded him. I figured if Pony and Darry were already sick then I was safe.

He just laughed at me and shook his head.

**X**

I was watching TV when I heard the bed squeak. I could hear Ponyboy stumbling and then he started to retch. I heard the bed squeak as I got up to comfort him while he continued to get sick.

He didn't even seem to notice me as I came in and started to rub his sweaty back. When he finished I heard him groan softly, looking miserable. He coughed lightly before flopping back down onto the bed and quickly falling back asleep.

**X**

Darry needed to stop worrying. He was going to kill himself. He was making his _and_ my hair turn grey.

He had started to get better, but all this worrying was making him get sick again and Pony wasn't much better. He had gotten himself sick by worrying and we couldn't afford to have both Darry and I take off work, so I was going to have to have Two-Bit or somebody babysit Ponyboy.

I was stressing myself out thinking about people stressing themselves out.

Am I the only sane one in this house? Or are we all insane?

**Ponyboy's POV**

I heard somebody, who I was guessing by the sound of it was Darry, sneeze in the living room which jolted me out of my light sleep. My head pounded and my throat was burning.

I shakily got to my feet, but my vision was swirling. I was struggling to remain on my feet and swaying, but I was able to use the wall for support.

When the a black spots left my vision I trudged into the living room.

"Hey, Ponyboy," Soda greeted. I sneezed thickly and managed a stuffy greeting.

"You feeling any better?" Soda asked, doubt lacing his voice. Normally I would say yeah, but I felt awful. I laid down in the couch next to him.

"No," I moaned, my voice barely a whisper. I really hoped that I wouldn't loose my voice.

"Where's Darry?" I croaked. Soda sighed softly, stroking my hair.

"He's in bed, not feeling well," Soda told me.

"Did he go on his own?" I asked. If Darry was easy for Soda, but difficult for me I was going to be very angry, but Soda just snorted.

"No." Soda told me.

"Oh," I mumbled. I started to cough painfully into my shirt sleeve. The coughs shook my brain and I longed for some aspirins.

"You can go to sleep if you want," Soda informed me. I wanted to say thanks, but Soda moved my head into his lap and the warmth of his lap and the tiredness that my cold was giving me made the lull of sleep to difficult to fight.

**A/N: Please review. Suggestions would be super helpful.**


	6. Chapter 6: I turned him into Darry Jr!

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**Sodapop's POV **

Darry sneezed loudly and blew his nose into the nearby tissues I set out. He was starting to get get steadily sicker. I told him that he needed to go to bed, and after about a ten minute argument he stomped off to his room in a mad huff.

I guess Darry's sneezing fit woke up Ponyboy because he stumbled into the living room, using the wall for support looking half-asleep and feverish. He curled up on the couch, his eyes unfocused and exhausted looking.

"Hey, Ponyboy," I greeted gently. I was happy that I wasn't alone because this house was getting lonely and boring without anybody awake. He sneezed thickly and replied with a stuffy and weak "hey".

"You feeling any better?" I asked doubtfully. He surprised me with his answer.

"No," he moaned, his voice barely a hoarse whisper. He must have felt just awful to actually admit that he wasn't feeling well because usually he would lie about his condition.

"Where's Darry?" He croaked, jolting me out of my thoughts. I sighed softly while stroking his auburn hair.

"He's in bed, not feeling well," I told him, hoping that he wouldn't think he was the reason that Darry was getting sicker again.

"Did he go on his own will?" He asked.

"No." I told him with a small snort. No way would Darry go to bed on his own without a fight.

"Oh," He mumbled, realization dawning on him. He started to cough and it sounded really painful. The coughs shook his small body and he winced slightly, grabbing his head in a way that suggested that all the coughing and staying awake during the conversation was giving him a headache.

"You can go to sleep if you want," I told him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I moved his head into my lap and he soon gave up the fight against his heavy eyelids.

Once he was deep enough asleep I gently pushed his head off my lap and checked on Darry. He was just sitting in bed, arms crossed, glaring at the wall. I tried to not laugh and instead tried to look threatening and angry.

"Darrel Shayne! Why aren't you asleep?" I yelled. He winced at the raise in my voice.

"I don't wanna," he told me, acting like a child. I told him that too. He gave in and laid down with an eye roll, saying he wasn't tired, but within a few minutes his breathing was even and worry lines were softened out of his face, which told me he was asleep. I smiled softly, my mission accomplished and went back out into the living room to stay with Ponyboy.

**Darry's POV**

I felt awful, but Soda shouldn't be taking care of Ponyboy, I was the one that caused to get sick in the first place.

Soda looked really worried about me so I just sat in bed instead of sleeping in protest. I heard him and Pony talking softly and my eyelids started to feel heavy, but I made sure to stay awake.

_Soda came in and yelled at me for still being awake. I was turning him into myself_, I thought, _yelling when worried_. To appease him I laid down, but my eyelids felt too heavy and I quickly fell asleep.

**A/N: We've seen Darry mother hen, we've seen Pony mother hen, and now we see Soda mother hen. Should I keep going or wrap it up?**


	7. Chapter 7: Do you really love me, Darry?

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**Well, I was told/requested, whatever you want to call it, to wrap it up, but I realized hat this wasn't very long yet, but this is kind of the halfway point, or it could be the end of you guys really hate my story. **

**Sodapop's POV **

"Hey Soda," I heard Darry say. I jumped out of my seat where I had fallen asleep, startled. He started to laugh.

"Don't do that!" I whisper-yelled.

"I'm going to carry Pony to his old bed and I suggest you go to bed too," Darry told me. He looked a lot better, it was a miracle what

"Alright," I mumbled. I hoped that Ponyboy didn't have a nightmare tonight.

**Darry's POV (Next morning on Sunday) **

I was sitting in Pony's room after Soda has left for work, drinking coffee.

"I love you," I mumbled, not meant for Ponybly to hear, but he didn't anyway.

"You do?" He questioned, still half asleep. I felt like he had stabbed me in the heart.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" I questioned.

"You like to yell," he mumbled. The last question started to make sense, but it didn't hurt any less.

"I do it because I love you and I get worried," I told him. He nodded.

"Makes sense," he mumbled right before he fell back asleep. I just hoped that he remembered our talk.

**Ponyboy's POV**

"I love you," I heard a rough voice mumble, almost too quiet for me to hear.

"You do?" I questioned softly, not really understanding what I was saying or talking about. If I did I would have responded with "I love you too" in the first place.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" He questioned me.

"You like to yell," I mumbled, agsin not thinking about what I was saying or who I was talking to, just subconsciously talking to him.

"I do it because I love you and I get worried," he told me, emotion lacing his voice. I think I nodded.

"Makes sense," I mumbled right before I fell back asleep.

I didn't have a nightmare that morning while I was asleep, instead I dreamt about Darry, thinking about ways to understand him and what I had missed when we were arguing. Maybe those cold blue eyes were just rivers of feeling that froze over during the winter.

**A/N: Ah! *squeals* The feels are just too much to handle. Sorry that that was short. Should I end the story there?**


	8. Chapter 8: I really do love you, Ponyboy

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately****, ****I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "****The Outsiders" ****is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.**

**A/N: ****If you like it, love it, or even if you hate it, you know what to do. Tell me in a review. I ****would love it if you favorited, followed, and/or if you gave me (a) suggestion(s). ****Thank you. :)**

**This is the Epilogue. I hope you al enjoy.**

**Darry's POV**

I couldn't get Pony and I's conversation out of my head.

I sighed, rubbing my face. _Did he really think I didn't love him_?

_He knows now_, I reminded myself.

I should tell him again when he wasn't sick so that he would remember.

That still wasn't helping my stress.

**Ponyboy's POV **

The uncomfortable, but familiar tingling in my nose woke me up from my peaceful slumber.

I grabbed a Kleenex just in time to sneeze into it. I felt miserable.

Worst. Cold. Ever.

I sighed heavily, _I was fully awake now, why not just get up_? I though tiredly.

I was surprised to find just Two-Bit home. He was sprawled out on the couch, sipping a beer and watching Mickey Mouse.

"What time is it?" I asked Two-Bit. He glanced at his wrist like he was looking at a watch before looking up at me with a cheeky grin.

"I've watched four Mickey Mouse episodes since I got here, so it's about two a'clock. You've been sleeping for a while," He informed me. I had gone to bed early last night and only woke up once to talk to Darry. That was a long time to be asleep, I thought.

I watched Mickey with Two-Bir for a while until Soda and Darry came home, signaling that Two-Bit was free to go home.

_Darry looks a lot better,_ I noted mentally checking over my older brother.

**Darry's POV**

I decided that I needed to say this to Ponyboy now while he was awake and coherent.

"Hey, Ponyboy?" I called.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I love you," I told him. A smiled bigger than Texas spread across his face.

"I love you too," he echoed before curling up on the couch and going to sleep. It felt good to hear him say it honestly.

**Ponyboy's POV**

Darry looked like he wanted to say something, but he debated it for a while until later that night before when he started to talk.

"Hey, Ponyboy?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I love you," He told me. A smiled bigger than Texas spread across my face.

"I love you too," I echoed before falling asleep.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed! Please review. :) **


	9. Chapter 9: Thank you to…

**Thank you to all my reviewers**

**Guest**

**FrankElza **

**Fanfiction by Jen**

**Seth Clearwater**

**BunnyLuvsU **

**Mycookiegirl**


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